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FaronStudio releases PixPlant 3

Portuguese developer FaronStudio has released PixPlant 3: the latest version of its standalone application for converting source photographs into tileable diffuse textures and other common texture maps.

Straightforward, partly wizard-driven workflows for generating common texture maps
PixPlant offers a wizard-driven workflow to convert seed images into tiling textures, including options to correct lens distortion or variation in hue and luminosity, and to mask out unwanted parts of the source image manually.

The tileable diffuse map can then be converted into basic range of other maps (displacement, normal, specular, AO), with simple slider controls to adjust key properties.

The results can be previewed in real time in the built-in 3D preview.

Maps can be edited by hand using PixPlant’s built-in brush tools (paint, clone, blur, sharpen, flatten), or you can link up an external editor, such as Photoshop.

Several of these features are new, or extensively revamped, in version 3. The latest update also adds the option to save project files as well as indidvidual bitmaps, and a “more modern” UI.

A more general-purpose tool than its competitors
Unlike similar – and similarly priced – tools such as Allegorithmic’s Bitmap2Material or Quixel’s NDO, PixPlant isn’t specifically focused on game development workflows.

Most of the users listed on the software’s homepage are architectural or design firms, and many of the images in the user gallery are architectural visualisations.

As a result, you won’t get tools or map types aimed at PBR workflows; but if you’re looking for an application to generate a universal set of texture maps with a minimum of fuss, Pixplant may well be worth a look.

Pricing and availability
PixPlant 3 is available for Windows and Mac OS X. A standard licence costs $175; individuals and one-person businesses can buy a Freelancer licence for $85, which includes use on commercial projects.